Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment papers
Pofolia’s corpus holds 166 papers from Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment (2007–2026), each with a short summary. Below, the 20 most-cited, then the most recently added.
At a glance
- Most cited: Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet (2015, 12,253 citations).
- The 20 papers listed have 115,647 citations between them.
- 19 of the 19 with a known journal quartile appeared in a Q1 journal.
- 1 have a free full text (open access).
- Most frequent journals: Chemical Reviews, Chemical Society Reviews, Science.
- Published between 2013 and 2019.
Most cited
Ranked by citation count. Because citations accumulate over time, this list naturally leans towards work published a few years ago; for where the field is now, see “recently added”. How to read the signals
Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet
Science · 2015 · Q1 · SJR 10.00 · FWCI 205.06 · 12,253 citations · Open access
The planetary boundaries framework, which defines a safe operating space for humanity based on Earth's biophysical processes, has been updated with a focus on scientific advances over the past five years.
Combining theory and experiment in electrocatalysis: Insights into materials design
Science · 2017 · Q1 · SJR 10.00 · FWCI 223.57 · 11,840 citations
This review outlines a systematic framework for designing heterogeneous electrocatalysts by integrating theoretical predictions with experimental data, aiming to accelerate the development of materials for clean energy conversion.
Graphitic Carbon Nitride (g-C3N4)-Based Photocatalysts for Artificial Photosynthesis and Environmental Remediation: Are We a Step Closer To Achieving Sustainability?
Chemical Reviews · 2016 · Q1 · SJR 16.00 · FWCI 183.97 · 7,016 citations
This review details the latest advancements in designing and constructing graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and its nanocomposites for photocatalysis, highlighting their potential for sustainable solar energy conversion and environmental cleanup.
Benchmarking Heterogeneous Electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction
Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2013 · Q1 · SJR 5.00 · FWCI 84.21 · 6,844 citations
A standardized protocol for evaluating oxygen evolution electrocatalysts is introduced, using overpotential at 10 mA cm⁻² as a key metric. Most non-noble metal catalysts perform similarly in alkaline solutions but lack stability in acidic ones.
Solar Engineering of Thermal Processes
2013 · FWCI 144.76 · 6,244 citations
This is an updated edition of a classic textbook on solar energy theory, systems design, and applications, emphasizing simulation-based analysis for practical implementation.
Electrocatalysis for the oxygen evolution reaction: recent development and future perspectives
Chemical Society Reviews · 2017 · Q1 · SJR 11.00 · FWCI 126.32 · 6,175 citations
This review synthesizes recent advancements in electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), a critical component for efficient energy generation technologies.
Noble metal-free hydrogen evolution catalysts for water splitting
Chemical Society Reviews · 2015 · Q1 · SJR 11.00 · FWCI 122.82 · 5,872 citations
This review highlights recent advances in noble metal-free nanoscale catalysts, such as metal sulfides, selenides, carbides, nitrides, phosphides, and doped nanocarbons, for efficient and economical hydrogen production via water splitting.
Understanding TiO2Photocatalysis: Mechanisms and Materials
Chemical Reviews · 2014 · Q1 · SJR 16.00 · FWCI 109.50 · 5,848 citations
This review comprehensively details the mechanisms and materials involved in TiO2 photocatalysis, a process where titanium dioxide uses light to drive chemical reactions.
Design of electrocatalysts for oxygen- and hydrogen-involving energy conversion reactions
Chemical Society Reviews · 2015 · Q1 · SJR 11.00 · FWCI 107.57 · 5,340 citations
Recent advances in spectroscopy and imaging, combined with theoretical knowledge of electronic structures, now enable the rational design of high-performance electrocatalysts for clean energy reactions like ORR, OER, and HER.
Progress and Perspectives of Electrochemical CO2 Reduction on Copper in Aqueous Electrolyte
Chemical Reviews · 2019 · Q1 · SJR 16.00 · FWCI 86.44 · 4,990 citations
This review synthesizes recent advancements in electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2RR) using copper catalysts in aqueous electrolytes, highlighting progress in selectivity and efficiency.
Heterojunction Photocatalysts
Advanced Materials · 2017 · Q1 · SJR 8.00 · FWCI 78.75 · 4,852 citations
Engineered heterojunction photocatalysts enhance solar fuel production and pollutant degradation by spatially separating photogenerated electron-hole pairs, overcoming limitations of fast recombination and low light utilization.
The role of renewable energy in the global energy transformation
Energy Strategy Reviews · 2019 · Q1 · SJR 2.00 · FWCI 89.34 · 4,837 citations
An accelerated global energy transition by 2050 is technically and economically feasible, with renewable energy technologies capable of supplying two-thirds of global demand and significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Generation and Detection of Reactive Oxygen Species in Photocatalysis
Chemical Reviews · 2017 · Q1 · SJR 16.00 · FWCI 51.07 · 4,572 citations
This review comprehensively surveys the generation mechanisms and detection methods of key reactive oxygen species (ROS) like superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, singlet oxygen, and hydroxyl radicals in photocatalysis, primarily focusing on TiO2.
Recent advances in semiconductors for photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical water splitting
Chemical Society Reviews · 2014 · Q1 · SJR 11.00 · FWCI 104.88 · 4,490 citations
This review highlights recent progress in semiconductor materials for efficient solar-driven water splitting, focusing on strategies to improve energy conversion efficiency and material stability.
Metal-free efficient photocatalyst for stable visible water splitting via a two-electron pathway
Science · 2015 · Q1 · SJR 10.00 · FWCI 140.16 · 4,436 citations
Researchers developed a metal-free carbon nanodot-carbon nitride (C3N4) nanocomposite that efficiently splits water using visible light, achieving a 2.0% solar energy conversion efficiency.
Active sites of nitrogen-doped carbon materials for oxygen reduction reaction clarified using model catalysts
Science · 2016 · Q1 · SJR 10.00 · FWCI 143.40 · 4,200 citations
Researchers have identified that pyridinic nitrogen atoms in nitrogen-doped carbon materials create Lewis basic sites, which are the specific active sites responsible for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).
Semiconductor heterojunction photocatalysts: design, construction, and photocatalytic performances
Chemical Society Reviews · 2014 · Q1 · SJR 11.00 · FWCI 72.69 · 4,120 citations
Semiconductor heterojunctions are the most effective strategy to overcome limitations in photocatalysis, such as charge recombination and poor visible-light absorption, for energy and environmental applications.
Benchmarking Hydrogen Evolving Reaction and Oxygen Evolving Reaction Electrocatalysts for Solar Water Splitting Devices
Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2015 · Q1 · SJR 5.00 · FWCI 90.05 · 4,007 citations
This study benchmarks 18 hydrogen evolution and 26 oxygen evolution electrocatalysts for solar water splitting, finding that many OER catalysts perform well in alkaline solutions, while few non-noble HER catalysts show promise.
Recent Advances in Electrocatalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction
Chemical Reviews · 2016 · Q1 · SJR 16.00 · FWCI 135.84 · 3,863 citations
This review comprehensively surveys recent progress in low- and non-platinum electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). It highlights novel structures and compositions, and correlates activity with material properties and synthesis methods.
The trajectory of the Anthropocene: The Great Acceleration
The Anthropocene Review · 2015 · Q1 · SJR 1.00 · FWCI 58.46 · 3,848 citations
Updated 'Great Acceleration' graphs now show socio-economic and Earth System trends to 2010, revealing that while global economic activity continues to grow rapidly, equity issues are masked by aggregated data, with OECD countries still dominating global GDP and consumption.
Recently added
Directed construction of high-stability PtPd alloys for methanol electrooxidation
International Journal of Hydrogen Energy · 2026 · Q1 · SJR 1.00
Equimolar Pt3Pd3 alloy nanoparticles (1.94 nm) supported on nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) deliver 4892.0 mA mg−1 metal activity for methanol oxidation, retaining 93.3% performance after 500 cycles and avoiding CO poisoning via a formate pathway.
Molten-salt-mediated synthesis: Engineering Fe single-atom sites on HKUST-1-derived carbon for efficient oxygen reduction reaction
Journal of Power Sources · 2026 · Q1 · SJR 1.00
A molten salt (NaCl) and pyrolysis strategy transforms HKUST-1 into a porous Fe single-atom catalyst (Fe/N–C) with a half-wave potential of 0.91 V vs. RHE for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline medium.
Fractional modeling of a solar still incorporating nano-encapsulated phase change materials for enhanced thermal and exergy performance
International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer · 2026 · Q1 · SJR 1.00
A fractional-order mathematical model shows that increasing NEPCM volume fraction in a solar still improves thermal efficiency by up to 25.7% and freshwater productivity by 26.9% under summer conditions.
Experimental study on chemical plugging of weakly consolidated sandstone by geothermal tailwater recharge based on artificial cores
Water Science & Technology · 2026 · Q2
Geothermal tailwater recharge causes chemical plugging in weakly consolidated sandstone, primarily due to precipitation of potassium feldspar, kaolinite, quartz, and calcite, reducing permeability.
One-step pyrolysis construction of CoP/P-doped biomass-derived carbon composite catalysts for efficient oxygen evolution reaction
Biomass and Bioenergy · 2026 · Q1 · SJR 1.00
A one-step pyrolysis method using Chinese fir sawdust and phytic acid created CoP/P-doped biomass-derived carbon (CoP-x@PBC) catalysts, achieving 273 mV overpotential at 10 mA cm⁻² for oxygen evolution, with a Tafel slope of 59.8 mV dec⁻¹ and 100-hour stability.
Coordination organic framework of phthalocyanine with carbon nanotubes for elevating oxygen evolution reaction
Discover Materials · 2026 · Q1
A composite catalyst of cobalt tetracarboxylicacid phthalocyanine (CoTCPc) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) achieved a low overpotential of 360 mV at 100 mA cm⁻², significantly outperforming individual components and benchmark RuO₂ (400 mV) for the oxygen evolution reaction.
Sonochemical synthesis of TmVO4/CoFe2O4 nanocomposites for enhanced visible-light photocatalytic dye degradation
Solar Energy · 2026 · Q1 · SJR 1.00
A TmVO4/CoFe2O4 (TV-CF) nanocomposite synthesized via sonochemistry degrades 94.80% of 10 ppm erythrosine dye in 120 min under visible light, outperforming TmVO4 alone.
Breaking Charge Symmetry in Co–Zn Dual‑Atom Catalyst With Axial Sulfur Coordination for Efficient Oxygen Reduction Reaction
Angewandte Chemie International Edition · 2026 · Q1 · SJR 5.00
A Co–Zn dual-atom catalyst (DAC) with axial sulfur coordination (Co─Zn@SNC) achieves superior oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity by inducing asymmetric charge distribution, reaching half-wave potentials of 0.902 V (alkaline), 0.817 V (neutral), and 0.809 V (acidic).
Journals in this field
The journals that publish most of this field’s papers. Quartile (Q1–Q4), SJR and h-index are from SCImago Journal Rank; “in this field” is how many of the journal’s pooled papers belong here. What is a Q1 journal? · What is the h-index?
| Journal | Quartile | SJR | h-index | In this field | Summaries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journal of the American Chemical Society | Q1 | 5.00 | 759 | 17 | 43 |
| Chemical Society Reviews | Q1 | 11.00 | 709 | 12 | 90 |
| Science | Q1 | 10.00 | 1433 | 12 | 268 |
| Chemical Reviews | Q1 | 16.00 | 905 | 11 | 124 |
| Advanced Materials | Q1 | 8.00 | 709 | 9 | 49 |
| Nature Communications | Q1 | 4.00 | 634 | 5 | 94 |
| Scientific Reports | Q1 | — | 382 | 5 | 170 |
| ACS Catalysis | Q1 | 3.00 | 350 | 4 | 9 |
Every journal in Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment (Q1–Q4) →
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